VA Office of Research and Development
HearVA involves six VA facility emergency departments (ED) over a 3-year intervention period. The first part of this study will test whether providing personal amplifiers to Veteran ED patients who self-report hearing difficulty is acceptable to these patients, can improve their hearing, enhance understanding of discharge instructions, and can reduce the risk of coming back to the ED in a short period of time (3 days and 30 days). The second part of the study will then identify whether ED staff can implement this program and achieve similar results. The second part will give ED staff increasing levels of responsibility for screening Veterans for hearing difficulty and providing personal amplifiers when such difficulty is detected.
HearVA is a randomized controlled trial to explore the utility and outcomes of providing point-of-care access to hearing-impaired Veterans, comparing an offer of personal amplifiers versus control in an environment where the clinical stakes are high. It addresses a knowledge gap about the utility of providing such hearing assistance during clinical encounters. The study measures whether providing personal amplifiers is acceptable to older patients, can improve hearing, enhance understanding of discharge instructions, and improve care transitions at discharge. If such a strategy is beneficial,…
Inclusion Criteria: * English speaking * Emergency severity index criterion of 3 (medium), 4, or 5 (low acuity) * Hearing Handicap Inventory-Screen greater than or equal to 10 or positive answer to a single-item screening question * Capacity to consent to participate in research Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to consent to participate in research * Emergency severity index criterion of 1-2 (high acuity) * Hearing Handicap Inventory-Screen less than 10 and negative answer to single item screening question * Inability to speak English * Using cochlear implants
The intervention group will receive personal amplifiers (PockeTalkers) while they receive care in the ED
The control group will not receive personal amplifiers while they receive care in the ED